Harkins' 2013-14 budget holds line

John Burgeson

Updated 11:26 pm, Monday, March 18, 2013

STRATFORD -- Mayor John A. Harkins said that his $192.6 million proposed budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year would keep property taxes and services essentially the same while providing more money for pensions and school security.

The mayor also said the town enjoyed a $10.4 million growth in its grand list over the past year.

Under his budget proposal, there would be no layoffs of town employees, he said.

On a home assessed at $250,000, taxes would increase by about $30 per year or 58 cents a week, Harkins said. The mill rate would be 34.64, an increase of 0.16 mill or 0.5 percent.

Regarding the possible loss of federal funding because of the upcoming "sequestering" spending cuts, Harkins said he will deal with them as more becomes known.

"There are a lot of `what ifs' out there, and the Republicans and Democrats in Congress are playing chicken right now," he said. "And it's not just the federal government, it's the state budget, too. The budget is just a document that's there to guide us. If we have to make changes down the line, we well."

Harkins joined the chorus of mayors and first selectmen in the state in slamming Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's proposed vehicle-tax elimination.

"It's ludicrous," he said. "It's going to mean an over $10 million loss in revenue for us. How am I going to make that up?"

Harkins' budget, which now goes to the Board of Finance and ultimately to the Town Council, provides $1.5 million in bonding for safety and security enhancements in the town's schools.

He also said that there are no reductions in municipal services and that he'll be meeting the town's obligation to fund pensions at "100 percent."

"We have a great working relationship with the people down the street," he said in reference to the school administration building.

"When I took office, there were things creeping up the stairs that had been sitting around for the past 10 years, and I decided to take them on head-on," he said. "It wasn't easy, but we are cleaning things up."

In a wide-ranging conversation with the Post last week, Harkins said that a much greater emphasis has been placed on economic development, pointing to the town's agreement with Bridgeport and the FAA over making the runway safer, and new businesses such as Two Roads Brewery on Stratford Avenue.

But he also said there are ongoing challenges, such as dealing with the cleanup of so-called brownfields, or contaminated soil left over from industrial activity in the 19th and 20th centuries. Another has been the weather; since Harkins took office, he's had to deal with a tornado, two hurricanes, a pair of snow events when leaves were still on the trees, and last month's blizzard.

"One of the reasons that I ran for mayor is that we were a laughing stock in Hartford," said the former state representative from the 120th district. "Now, companies are taking a look at Stratford. They're amazed at what we have."